The Divine Service we attend most often is the Divine Liturgy. We know it, but do we know it? The better we understand the Divine Liturgy the more we will engage in this "work of the people", and the more we will get from it. Or perhaps better put, the more it will transform us. And since we are seeking to be transformed into the children of God, should we not take the time to delve more deeply into the Divine Liturgy - the most theologically significant Divine Service? That is a purely rhetorical question of course, since the answer must be "yes"! The article below is a classic of the 20th century, written by one of the most influential theologians of that time. That time was not that long ago - and this article is well, well worth the read!

The great feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord falls on August 19 each year. At this feast, following the Divine Liturgy, we bless the first fruits that are becoming ripe as the harvest begins. In the Greek tradition usually grapes were blessed. In the Russian tradition usually apples. Any fruit is acceptable. Please bring your basket with fruits to the Divine Liturgy on the feast!

We present here a short educational offering for both children and adults. Parents are asked to review the children’s portion with their children. It is very important for us to attend the Divine Services on Sundays and whenever else we are able, but in addition it is our spiritual responsibility to educate ourselves and our families in the faith. It is our hope that this mid-week offering will be an aid in this regard. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions or suggestions.

Our Orthodox Christian faith is a great gift given to us by our Lord and Savior Himself. As with any gift we should be grateful for this one, but realize also that it is our responsibility not just to be grateful in the abstract, but to delve into our faith, to lean about our faith, to know our faith – not as an abstraction, but because it is helpful for our salvation to understand the gift that the Lord has given us. To learn more about your faith please visit the special web page we have created on our site for this express purpose. The address is found below. Please contact Fr. Gregory with questions regarding this or any spiritual topic.

The diocese has provided each of our parishes with Emergency Cards. These cards are to be filled out and put in your wallet so that if it were ever to happen that you were in an accident or otherwise needed spiritual support, but could not speak for yourself, the authorities would find the card in your wallet and call Fr. Gregory to come to you. We hope none of our parishioners ever needs to use one of these cards, but it is a good idea to have one just in case. Please see Fr. Gregory if you have questions. Emergency cards can be found near the front doors - near the pamphlets that are available to all for free.

The Divine Services are theology in action – one of the most important and most easily accessible sources of truth provided by the Holy Church for our salvation. In order to help more and more people gain access to this source of truth and to introduce new people to the Orthodox Faith our parish practice is to serve one cycle of Divine Services per month (Friday Evening Services and Saturday Divine Liturgy) completely in English. This is a missionary effort designed to allow those who are interested in Orthodox Christianity to more easily access the beauty of the Divine Services. ALL ARE WELCOME at these services! Please invite friends and loved ones! Let us work together to no longer allow Orthodox Christianity to be the best kept secret in the spiritual life of North America! Please join us!

Today the Holy Church calls us to being fasting in preparation for the Great Fast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which falls on August 28 every year. This is a strict fast. As usual no meat or dairy products are consumed, but fish is only allowed on the feast of the Transfiguration (on August 19). This is a short fast – for our own spiritual health we cannot put off beginning, or we may not start until it is too late to take advantage of this gift that the Lord gives us in our spiritual struggle. Please see Fr. Gregory or Fr. Moses with questions about fasting or any other aspect of our spiritual life!

"This is the cause of all evils: the ignorance of the Scriptures. We go into battle without arms, and how ought we to come off safe?" -St. John Chrysostom, Homily IX on Colossians.

In order to help increase the general knowledge of scripture in our parish family we present here for your edification the scripture readings for the coming week. At least one Gospel Reading and one Epistle reading are assigned for each day of the year (although during Great Lent the readings are from the Old Testament). Hearing or reading only those readings appointed for Sunday merely scratches the surface of the great spiritual wealth that the scriptures provide us. Some of the readings are easily understandable – others are less so. As Orthodox Christians we do not make private interpretation of scripture, but rather consult the fathers of the Church for their explanations to aid us in our understanding. Those wishing to have access to such explanations are asked to contact Fr. Gregory or inquire in the kiosk for further reading in this regard. Bibles may also be acquired in the kiosk.

As noted in the article above we need God's help and blessing to read and understand the scriptures correctly. What better way to entreat God's help in this regard than through prayer? Please find the prayer before reading the scriptures here: